1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the Test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a Test series in New Zealand. The side was captained by John Dawes, coached by Carwyn James and managed by Doug Smith.

1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
Date	12 May – 14 August
Coach(es)	Carwyn James
Tour captain(s)	John Dawes
Test series winners	British Lions (2–1)
Top test point scorer(s)	Barry John (30)
← South Africa 1968 South Africa 1974 →

1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
Summary	P W D L
Total	26 23 01 02
Test match	04 02 01 01
Opponent	P W D L
New Zealand	4 2 1 1

Background

Although the Lions had done poorly when touring New Zealand in 1966 (they lost all four Tests to the All Blacks), the seeds had been sown for the successful series of 1971.^{[citation needed]} Wales had won the Grand Slam in the Five Nations Championship in 1971, and appropriately supplied more players than any other home nation to the touring squad. Both the coach and captain were also Welsh. This was the only tour to result in a Lions victory over the All Blacks.

New Zealand, after a long period of success, had lost their most recent series in 1970 away to South Africa.

Key factors

A major factor in their victory was self belief. Gerald Davies explained, "...somewhere along the line it becomes a mental thing...We grew in confidence; we came to believe it was possible to beat the All Blacks."^[1] The coaching team had also done important reconnaissance work.^[2]

Colin Meads said Mervyn Davies was "the one player who probably had the biggest impact on that 1971 Lions Test series," particularly as he prevented New Zealand winning line out ball via Brian Lochore.^[3][4]

Test series

The Lions won the first Test in Dunedin 9–3, with a penalty goal to the All Blacks, and two penalties and a try, (scored by Ian McLauchlan) to the Lions. Several Lions players later admitted they were overconfident following their initial Test victory. The Lions were thus convincingly beaten 22–12 in the second Test in Christchurch, with the All Blacks outscoring them five tries (Bob Burgess (2), Sid Going, Ian Kirkpatrick, pen try) to two (Davies (2)). The third Test was played at Athletic Park, Wellington. The Lions did not make the same mistake they had in Christchurch, resulting in a 13–3 win, the Lions scored two converted tries and a drop goal. The All Blacks managed only a try.

Following the third Test the Lions led the series 2–1. The final game played in Auckland would require an All Black victory for New Zealand to draw the series. A draw or Lions victory would give the Lions a series win. Scores were level 8–8 at half time with a try, conversion and penalty each. The first 15 minutes of the second half saw the Lions land a penalty goal and the All Blacks score a try. With the scores tied 11–11, Lions fullback JPR Williams received the ball 45 metres out and attempted a drop goal, it was successful and put the Lions ahead 14–11. Williams's drop goal was the only one he landed in his Test career. The All Blacks could only manage three further points from a penalty to draw the game 14-14, which gave the Lions the series.

Squad

Backs

• John Dawes (London Welsh and Wales) (captain)
• J.P.R. Williams (London Welsh and Wales)
• Bob Hiller (Harlequins and England)
• John C Bevan (Cardiff and Wales)
• Alastair Biggar (London Scottish and Scotland)
• Gerald Davies (London Welsh and Wales)
• David Duckham (Coventry and England)^[a]
• Arthur Lewis (Ebbw Vale and Wales)
• John Spencer (Headingley and England)
• Chris Rea (West of Scotland and Scotland)
• Mike Gibson (North of Ireland FC and Ireland)
• Barry John (Cardiff and Wales)
• Gareth Edwards (Cardiff and Wales)
• Chico Hopkins (Maesteg and Wales)
• Chris Wardlow (Northampton and England) was an original selection but withdrew due to injury. His place was taken by Chris Rea

Forwards

• Frank Laidlaw (Melrose and Scotland)
• John Pullin (Bristol and England)
• Ian McLauchlan (Jordanhill College and Scotland)
• Sandy Carmichael (West of Scotland and Scotland)
• Sean Lynch (St Mary's College RFC and Ireland)
• Ray McLoughlin (Blackrock College RFC and Ireland)
• Stack Stevens (Harlequins and England)
• Gordon Brown (West of Scotland and Scotland)
• Geoff Evans (London Welsh and Wales)
• Willie John McBride (Ballymena and Ireland)
• Mike Roberts (London Welsh and Wales)
• Delme Thomas (Llanelli and Wales)
• Mike Hipwell (Terenure College RFC and Ireland)
• Rodger Arneil (Leicester and Scotland)
• Derek Quinnell (Llanelli)^[b]
• Fergus Slattery (University College Dublin RFC and Ireland)
• John Taylor (London Welsh and Wales)
• Mervyn Davies (London Welsh and Wales)
• Peter Dixon (Harlequins and England)^[c]

Results

Match	Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score
Match 1	12 May	Queensland	Lang Park, Brisbane	Lost	11–15
Match 2	15 May	New South Wales	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney	Won	14–12
Match 3	22 May	Counties / Thames Valley	Pukekohe Stadium, Pukekohe	Won	25–3
Match 4	26 May	Wanganui / King Country	Spriggens Park, Wanganui	Won	22–9
Match 5	29 May	Waikato	Rugby Park, Hamilton	Won	35–14
Match 6	2 June	New Zealand Māori	Eden Park, Auckland	Won	23–12
Match 7	5 June	Wellington	Athletic Park, Wellington	Won	47–9
Match 8	9 June	South Canterbury / Mid Canterbury / North Otago	Fraser Park, Timaru	Won	25–6
Match 9	12 June	Otago	Carisbrook, Dunedin	Won	21–9
Match 10	16 June	West Coast-Buller	Rugby Park, Greymouth	Won	39–6
Match 11	19 June	Canterbury	Lancaster Park, Christchurch	Won	14– 3
Match 12	22 June	Marlborough / Nelson Bays	Lansdowne Park, Blenheim	Won	31–12
First Test	26 June	New Zealand	Carisbrook, Dunedin	Won	9–3
Match 14	30 June	Southland	Rugby Park, Invercargill	Won	25–3
Match 15	3 July	Taranaki	Rugby Park, New Plymouth	Won	14–9
Match 16	6 July	New Zealand Universities	Athletic Park, Wellington	Won	27–6
Second Test	10 July	New Zealand	Lancaster Park, Christchurch	Lost	12–22
Match 18	14 July	Wairarapa Bush	Memorial Park, Masterton	Won	27–6
Match 19	17 July	Hawke's Bay	McLean Park, Napier	Won	25–6
Match 20	21 July	Poverty Bay / East Coast	Rugby Park, Gisborne	Won	18–12
Match 21	24 July	Auckland	Eden Park, Auckland	Won	19–12
Third Test	31 July	New Zealand	Athletic Park, Wellington	Won	13–3
Match 23	4 August	Manawatu / Horowhenua	Showgrounds, Palmerston North	Won	39–6
Match 24	7 August	North Auckland	Okara Park,Whangarei	Won	11–5
Match 25	10 August	Bay of Plenty	Tauranga Domain, Tauranga	Won	20–14
Fourth Test	14 August	New Zealand	Eden Park, Auckland	Draw	14–14

The Canterbury game was particularly violent.^[5]

Tests

First Test

26 June 1971

New Zealand	3–9	British Lions
Pen: McCormick	Report	Try: McLauchlan Pen: John (2/6)

Carisbrook, Dunedin Attendance: 45,000 Referee: John Pring (New Zealand)

Team details

FB 15 Fergie McCormick RW 14 Bruce Hunter OC 13 Wayne Cottrell IC 12 Bryan Williams LW 11 Ken Carrington FH 10 Bob Burgess SH 9 Sid Going N8 8 Alan Sutherland FL 7 Ian Kirkpatrick FL 6 Alan McNaughton RL 5 Colin Meads (c) LL 4 Peter Whiting PR 3 Brian Muller HK 2 Tane Norton PR 1 Richie Guy Replacements: HK 16 PR 17 PR 18 LK 19 FL 20 SH 21 FH 22 CE 23 Coach: Ivan Vodanovich FB 15 J. P. R. Williams RW 14 Gerald Davies OC 13 John Dawes (c) IC 12 Mike Gibson LW 11 John Bevan FH 10 Barry John SH 9 Gareth Edwards  5' N8 8 Mervyn Davies FL 7 John Taylor FL 6 Peter Dixon RL 5 Willie John McBride LL 4 Delme Thomas PR 3 Sean Lynch HK 2 John Pullin PR 1 Ian McLauchlan Replacements: LK 16 Gordon Brown SH 17 Chico Hopkins  5' WG 18 David Duckham HK 19 Frank Laidlaw Coach: Carwyn James

Second Test

10 July 1971

New Zealand	22–12	British Lions
Try: Burgess (2) Going Kirkpatrick Penalty try Con: Mains (2) Pen: Mains	Report	Try: Davies (2) Pen: John Drop: John

Lancaster Park, Christchurch Attendance: 57,500 Referee: John Pring (New Zealand)

Team details

FB 15 Laurie Mains RW 14 Bruce Hunter OC 13 Howard Joseph IC 12 Wayne Cottrell LW 11 Bryan Williams FH 10 Bob Burgess SH 9 Sid Going N8 8 Alex Wyllie FL 7 Alan McNaughton FL 6 Ian Kirkpatrick RL 5 Colin Meads (c) LL 4 Peter Whiting PR 3 Brian Muller HK 2 Tane Norton PR 1 Richie Guy Coach: Ivan Vodanovich FB 15 J. P. R. Williams RW 14 Gerald Davies OC 13 John Dawes (c) IC 12 Mike Gibson LW 11 David Duckham FH 10 Barry John SH 9 Gareth Edwards N8 8 Mervyn Davies FL 7 John Taylor FL 6 Peter Dixon RL 5 Willie John McBride LL 4 Delme Thomas PR 3 Sean Lynch HK 2 John Pullin PR 1 Ian McLauchlan Coach: Carwyn James

Third Test

31 July 1971

New Zealand	3–13	British Lions
Try: Mains		Try: Davies John Con: John (2) Drop: John

Athletic Park, Wellington Referee: John Pring (New Zealand)

NEW ZEALAND: Laurie Mains, Bruce Hunter, Howard Joseph, Wayne Cottrell, Ken Carrington, Bob Burgess (rep Mick Duncan), Sid Going, Brian Muller, Tane Norton, Richie Guy, Colin Meads (c), Brian Lochore, Alan McNaughton Ian Kirkpatrick, Alex Wyllie

LIONS: Williams, Gerald Davies, Dawes (c), Gibson, Duckham, John, Edwards, Lynch, Pullin, McLauchlan, McBride, Brown, Quinnell, Slattery, Mervyn Davies.

In the pack, the Lions selected Gordon Brown over Delme Thomas.^[6]

Fourth Test

14 August 1971

New Zealand	14–14	British Lions
Try: Cottrell Lister Con: Mains Pen Mains (2)		Try: Dixon Con: John Drop: Williams Pen: John (2)

Eden Park, Auckland Referee: John Pring (New Zealand)

NEW ZEALAND: Laurie Mains, Ken Carrington, Mick Duncan, Phil Gard, Bryan Williams, Wayne Cottrell, Sid Going, Brian Muller, Tane Norton, Richie Guy, Colin Meads (c), Peter Whiting, Ian Kirkpatrick, Tom Lister, Alex Wyllie

LIONS: Williams, Gerald Davies, Dawes (c), Gibson, Duckham, John, Edwards, Lynch, Pullin, McLauchlan, McBride, Brown, Taylor, Dixon, Mervyn Davies.Thomas replaced injured Brown 60mins

Appraisal

The 1971 Lions are often compared to the unbeaten 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa. Many of the players who played on the 1971 Lions tour believe the 1974 Lions team would have beaten the 1971 Lions team, due to having better forwards and because many of the 1971 players had become better players by 1974.^[7] J.P.R. Williams has said that while the 1971 Lions back division could not be bettered, the 1974 squad was better at winning games.^[8]

However South Africa had not played a test match for two years before playing the Lions, whereas the New Zealand team had been active.^[9] In addition the 1971 Lions overcame the mental hurdle of the Lions having lost every previous series in New Zealand before.

Notes and references

1. Palenski, R: Century in Black, 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby, page 122. Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Ltd, 2003
2. Shephard, Sarah. "Boars, beers and black eyes that forged a unique bond for the 1971 Lions heroes" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
3. Colin Meads; Rob Cole (17 March 2012). "Mervyn Davies obituary". www.independent.co.uk. The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. For years so much of our play had revolved around throwing to Brian Lochore at the back of the line-out, but Mervyn dominated that area of the game for the entire series and stopped us playing.
4. Willie John McBride; David Roach; Mervyn Davies (2004). "Foreword". In Strength And Shadow: The Mervyn Davies Story. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 9781840188653.
5. Parfitt, Delme (15 May 2017). "The story of the Lions match still labelled 'a disgrace to rugby'". WalesOnline.
6. "Lions Hero: John Spencer on Gordon Brown". www.lionsrugby.com. 28 January 2016.
7. Willie John McBride, Ian McLauchlan, Ian McGeechen, Fergus Slattery, Chapter 24, Undefeated, Rhodri Davies
8. Orders, Mark (4 March 2019). "The life of JPR at 70, a Welsh rugby great who was different from the rest". Wales Online.
9. O’Reilly, Peter. "Dick Milliken: The Springboks were physical and frightening – but they believed we were invincible" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.

Notes

^aDuckham had been playing for England at centre, but was selected on the wing.

^bDerek Quinnell had not been capped at the time of the 1971 tour, but later played for Wales.

^cPeter Dixon had not played for England at the time of his selection for the 1971 tour but then won his first cap against the President's Overseas XV on 17 April 1971 three weeks prior to the squad's departure for Australia.

Bibliography

Thomas, J. B. G. (1971). The Roaring Lions. London: Pelham Books. ISBN 0720705452.

External links

• British & Irish Lions | History
• Lions Flashback: 1971 - allblacks.com Archived 28 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine